Doug McCrae

@dougmccrae.bsky.social

94 followers 296 following 436 posts

C15–C18 European witch trials

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] May 15, 2024 at 12:39 UTC

You’re right and I also enjoyed your use of the Scottish “shite” and “pish.”

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] May 07, 2024 at 21:22 UTC

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgCk...

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] May 06, 2024 at 17:53 UTC

And politicians. As Khrushchev said to Nixon, “If the people believe there’s an imaginary river out there, you don’t tell them there’s no river there. You build an imaginary bridge over the imaginary river.”

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] May 06, 2024 at 17:44 UTC

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 27, 2024 at 17:31 UTC

The GOP candidate for president is a rapist who stole nuclear secrets and used violence to try to overturn the result of a democratic election. There are no rules any more, at least for Republicans. Nothing is disqualifying.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 27, 2024 at 12:52 UTC

Wouldn’t that be the era of McCarthyism?

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 11, 2024 at 17:49 UTC

A great artist too. His jewellery remained highly sought after throughout his long career and was worn by some of Middle-earth's most notable and accomplished individuals.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 10, 2024 at 14:19 UTC

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 10, 2024 at 11:45 UTC

It's a part of a whole range of views that boil down to "People who aren't me should be less happy."

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 09, 2024 at 21:26 UTC

The Reform Party in the UK is the equivalent of the modern GOP: right wing populist, anti-immigrant, anti-"woke", anti-green. But our electoral system makes it impossible for them to get anywhere.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 09, 2024 at 21:23 UTC

Things feel a lot less tense here in the UK than they seem to be in the US. Our society is less divided. The political stakes are a lot lower. No one on the right is scared of Keir Starmer the way American conservatives seem to be terrified of any Democratic president.

2 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 09, 2024 at 19:03 UTC

I answered the question "How were witch trials finally refuted?" on r/askhistorians.

www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 07, 2024 at 21:38 UTC

The Real Ale Twats, also from Viz, does a great job capturing the language and cultural references of the Twats.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 07, 2024 at 01:27 UTC

I just laughed so hard at that it turned into a coughing fit. Well played.

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Reposted by Doug McCrae

Gretchen Felker-Martin 🍉 @scumbelievable.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 06, 2024 at 23:46 UTC

Unbeatable

14 replies 140 reposts 874 likes

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 07, 2024 at 01:19 UTC

There's a big difference between the original video, where the bar has about six patrons (and doesn't seem like it could possibly be a viable business), and the 80s version where it's crowded.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRls...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEP...

2 replies 0 reposts 8 likes

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 07, 2024 at 01:12 UTC

The unstated implication is that the Piano Man himself must also suck, to be working in a place like that.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 07, 2024 at 00:17 UTC

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9aP...

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 06, 2024 at 23:54 UTC

They do but, as the Log Lady told us, "the owls are not what they seem."

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Reposted by Doug McCrae

caffeine anxiety ego death @mxdshipwreck.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 06, 2024 at 17:03 UTC

Meanwhile, conservatives:

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 06, 2024 at 20:09 UTC

Pints that are less than 50% foam are woke.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 06, 2024 at 20:02 UTC

People whose entire belief system is based on the idea of eternal moral verities and unchanging cultural touchstones don't need to be consistent over a ten year period.

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 06, 2024 at 17:52 UTC

One of the strangest interactions I had on Twitter was with a conspiracy theorist who believed that Obama deliberately wore the tan suit, knowing it would drive right wing media into a frenzy, as a distraction from the 2014 Ukraine revolution.

1 replies 0 reposts 4 likes

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 06, 2024 at 17:30 UTC

It was great. I particularly liked your point about backlashes often being, in reality, frontlashes.

1 replies 0 reposts 6 likes

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 06, 2024 at 17:04 UTC

I noticed something similar with MRAs. They claim feminists are saying that men are inherently rapists but really it's the claim they're making. Because men are supposedly acting on instinct, it's therefore, in the eyes of MRAs, women's responsibility to avoid rape and workplace harassment.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 06, 2024 at 15:10 UTC

Right-wing libertarians believe there's a natural hierarchy with white men at the top, but government welfare is suppressing this hierarchy. If government steps out of the way then they believe women and black people will be forced to be more subservient.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 05, 2024 at 17:44 UTC

Distressing lack of specificity about the “many more things to come.” C’mon, Marjorie, if you know what God’s going to do then help out America’s emergency services and give us some details.

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Reposted by Doug McCrae

Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 05, 2024 at 17:02 UTC

Hayes Brown: Haha, what if people still believed in omens and prophecies like in the ancient world An actual member of Congress:

86 replies 331 reposts 1446 likes

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 05, 2024 at 15:27 UTC

Rod Dreher often uses the term Weimar America in the same way to mean "Fascism is coming and it'll all be your fault, libs!"

1 replies 1 reposts 18 likes

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 05, 2024 at 14:49 UTC

Pff, we already have an interactive movie -- Bandersnatch --and it was about videogames!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_M...

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 05, 2024 at 14:37 UTC

bsky.app/profile/pkru...

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 05, 2024 at 00:26 UTC

Love the quotation from Stockton Rush, who died in the OceanGate submarine implosion: "At some point, safety is just pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed, don't get in your car, don't do anything."

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 03, 2024 at 20:30 UTC

The crucifixion is clearly sadomasochistic. Jesus wanted to be crucified. "Mmm, yeah, drive those nails in deep. I love being sacrificed for man's sins."

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 03, 2024 at 19:52 UTC

Under first-past-the-post, the main function of a third party is to act as a spoiler to the Big Two. That was the case with the Brexit Party in 2019, and will probably happen again with the Reform Party taking votes from the Tories at the next election.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 03, 2024 at 19:49 UTC

Our system, like that of the US, is 1st-past-the-post. Unlike systems of proportional representation, which are common in Europe, it doesn't empower third parties. Only once in British history has there been a change in the two-party system, when Labour replaced the Liberal Party in the early C20.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 03, 2024 at 18:28 UTC

A fine example of centrist chiding of the left from 1859. The New York Times criticising abolitionists for setting back the cause of abolition by being too strident. "The very best thing that could possibly be done towards the abolition of Slavery would be for the North to stop talking about it."

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 03, 2024 at 15:19 UTC

My understanding is that one part made it illegal to send advice on performing abortions (and perhaps abortifacients?) through the mail.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 03, 2024 at 02:31 UTC

Interesting article though imo it's completely wrong about The Exorcist. Regan MacNeil's soul is never threatened, only her body. It's the soul of the young priest, Damien Karras, that's in danger. The rite of exorcism fails so it can't be considered efficacious.

thehaunt.blog/2024/03/18/t...

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 02, 2024 at 22:44 UTC

Something I often think about rich people is, "I wish they had more money." So it's great to see that's finally happening.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 02, 2024 at 21:02 UTC

This is absolutely right except they wouldn't say sorry. Instead they'd call you woke and accuse you of being a paedophile.

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Reposted by Doug McCrae

Ellen Kushner @ellenkushner.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 02, 2024 at 19:17 UTC

28 replies 554 reposts 2074 likes

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 02, 2024 at 20:48 UTC

Yes, and a big problem in the American system is that four more years of Republican rule means more gerrymandering, voter suppression and other system manipulation to make it even more difficult to vote them out.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 02, 2024 at 20:35 UTC

In order to result in a change in policy there would have to be: 1) Sufficient numbers of normally reliable party voters staying home. 2) Their policy demands must be clear. 3) The change in policy must be easy to implement and not result in lost votes elsewhere.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 02, 2024 at 20:05 UTC

A political boycott can only work when it's done by a party or candidate's genuine voters. Here in the UK, the Tories were pressured over Brexit by the threat of Tory voters switching to Nigel Farage's Brexit Party. That won't work with Biden because the far left were never going to vote for him.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 02, 2024 at 14:14 UTC

That's a great article, I really enjoyed it. The last paragraph is particularly insightful imo:

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 02, 2024 at 12:46 UTC

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 02, 2024 at 01:34 UTC

Interesting that he didn't even have $175m.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 02, 2024 at 01:32 UTC

I watched The Exorcist recently for the first time in decades and was really blown away by it. Haven't seen Sorcerer.

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Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 01, 2024 at 23:35 UTC

I considered him! Like Trump he's lazy, incompetent, and a liar but he's now out of politics and doesn't share Trump's inclinations towards violence and authoritarianism.

1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Doug McCrae @dougmccrae.bsky.social
[ View ] Apr 01, 2024 at 23:13 UTC

Imo the "Is it fascism?" argument doesn't matter very much. If Trumpism isn't fascism then it's still: 1) Fascism-adjacent. 2) Potentially very dangerous.

1 replies 1 reposts 11 likes